Expandable stringed instrument case

ABSTRACT

An instrument case including a bottom wall, a top wall, and a primary side wall forming a first compartment. The primary side wall has a lower wall portion joined to the bottom wall and an upper wall portion joined to the top wall. Together, the upper and bottom walls have a substantially uniform width w to establish for the first compartment a first volume for accommodating an instrument having a maximum width no greater than the uniform width w. A flexible auxiliary side wall is contractible within the primary side wall and joins the bottom wall and the top wall. The auxiliary side wall has a substantially uniform width W greater than the width w of the primary side wall and is expandable to establish a second compartment with a second volume for accommodating an instrument having a maximum width greater than the uniform width w.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Stringed instruments of various types are widely used by both professional and amateur musicians. Typically, the instruments must be transported to a location at which a performance is to occur; On such occasions, transportation of the instruments is facilitated and instrument damage prevented by moving and storing the instruments prior to use in carrying cases generally having a configuration conforming to the particular instrument retained. Since stringed instruments are made with a variety of shapes and sizes, a properly fitted carrying case is not always available for each instrument. Consequently, a musician must either utilize ill fitted cases for some instruments or utilize expensive custom fitted cases. This problem is accentuated for many musicians who have and utilize multiple stringed instruments with various shapes.

The object of this invention, therefore, is to provide a carrying case that can be safely used to store and transport stringed instruments of various size and shape.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention is an instrument case including a bottom wall, a top wall, and a primary side wall forming a first compartment. The primary side wall has a lower wall portion joined to the bottom wall and an upper wall portion joined to the top wall. Together, the upper and bottom walls have a substantially uniform width w to establish for the first compartment a first volume for accommodating an instrument having a maximum width no greater than the uniform width w. A flexible auxiliary side wall is contractible within the primary side wall and joins the bottom wall and the top wall. The auxiliary side wall has a substantially uniform width W greater than the width w of the primary side wall and is expandable to establish a second compartment with a second volume for accommodating an instrument having a maximum width greater than the uniform width w. Because of the two compartments, the case can compactly retain instruments of various size.

According to one feature of the invention, the case includes an expansion mechanism for accommodating separation between the upper and lower wall portions of the primary side wall and separation between the bottom wall and the top wall to thereby expand the auxiliary side wall and establish the second compartment.

According to another feature of the invention, each of the upper and lower wall portions have extensive length sections of uniform width and substantially shorter end sections with outwardly tapered edges forming triangular protrusions with apices joined establishing at their juncture a combined width of the upper and lower wall portions substantially equal to the width W of the auxiliary side wall. The shorter end sections with triangular protrusions accommodate the expansion mechanism.

According to yet another feature of the invention, the expansion mechanism is a zipper forming outer edges of the upper and lower wall portions, and the joined apices form the origin end of the zipper. The zipper simplifies expansion of the case.

According to still another feature of the invention, end portions of the upper and lower wall portions opposite to the tapered end sections overlap the tapered end sections. The upper and lower wall sections prevent undesired contact of the zipper slide with other objects.

According to a further feature of the invention, the case has the overall shape of a stringed instrument with a narrow neck portion and a wider body portion, and further includes a cinch mechanism secured to the neck portion and operable to exert a circumferential force thereto. The cinch mechanism allows the case to compactly receive instruments with different sized necks.

According to an additional feature of the invention, the case is elongated with the body and neck portions defining opposite ends of the case, and the origin end of the zipper is located at an end of the case defined by the body portion thereby eliminating an undesirable bulky protrusion from the sides of the case.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other objects and features of the invention will become more apparent upon a perusal of the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective front view of an adjustable carrying case for a string instrument;

FIG. 2 is a left side view of the case shown in FIG. 1 and with a shoulder strap removed;

FIG. 3 is a right side view of the case shown in FIG. 1 and with a shoulder strap removed;

FIG. 4 is an end view of the case shown in FIG. 1 and with a shoulder strap removed;

FIG. 5 is an expanded right side view of the case shown in FIG. 1 and with a shoulder strap removed;

FIG. 6 is a partially contracted right side view of the case shown in FIG. 1 and with a shoulder strap removed;

FIG. 7 is a partial expanded right side view of the case shown in FIG. 1 and with a shoulder strap removed; and

FIG. 8 is a partially contracted and partially expanded right side view of the case shown in FIG. 1 and with a shoulder strap removed.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

An elongated carrying case 11 (FIG. 1) includes a narrow portion 12 for receiving the neck of a stringed instrument (not shown) and a wider portion 13 for receiving the instrument's body. Forming the case 11 are a top wall 15 and a bottom wall 16 joined by a primary side wall 17 having a substantially uniform width w (FIG. 6). A handle 18 is joined to the side wall 17. Removably attached to the bottom wall 16 are a pair of backpack straps 19. A zipper 21 having a pair of slides 22 allows separation of the top wall 15 from a portion of the side wall 17 allowing access to an instrument within the case 11.

The primary side wall 17 (FIGS. 2, 3, and 4) includes an upper wall portion 25 and a lower wall portion 26 having outer edges 28, 29 formed by engageable tabs of an expansion zipper 27 with an operating pull slide 24. Inner edges of the wall portions 25, 26 are joined, respectively, to outer edges 34, 35 of the top and bottom walls 15, 16. The upper wall portion 25 has an extensive length section 30 of uniform width and a substantially shorter end section 31 with an outwardly tapered edge 32 forming a triangular protrusion 33. Similarly, the lower wall portion 26 has an extensive length section 36 of uniform width and a substantially shorter end section 37 with an outwardly tapered edge 38 forming a triangular protrusion 39.

The triangular protrusions 33, 39 are laterally aligned and their apices are joined establishing at their juncture 44 a combined width W of the upper and lower wall portions 25, 26. End portions 45, 46 of, respectively, the upper wall portion 25 and the lower wall portion 26 opposite to the tapered end sections 31 and 37 overlap those end sections.

Disposed within the primary side wall 17 is a flexible auxiliary side wall 48 (FIGS. 4, 5, 7 and 8) also extending between and joining outer edges of the top wall 15 and the bottom wall 16. As shown in FIG. 8, the auxiliary side wall 48 has a substantially uniform width W substantially greater than the width w (FIGS. 2, 3 and 6) of the primary side wall 17. An upper edge 51 of auxiliary side wall 48 extends around the entire perimeter 34 of the top wall 15 of the carrying case 11 and a lower edge 53 of the auxiliary side wall 48 extends around the entire perimeter 35 of the bottom wall 16.

Attached to the narrow portion 12 of the case 11 is a cinching mechanism 58 including a cinching strap 59 and buckle 60. As shown in FIG. 5, the cinching mechanism 58 can be loosened to allow expansion of the narrow portion 12 of the case 11 after opening of the zipper 21. Alternatively, with the zipper 21 open, the cinching strap 59 can be tightened to exert a circumferential force on the narrow portion 12 and thereby reduce its circumference as illustrated in FIG. 8.

During use of the carrying case 11, the zipper 27 can be closed to contract the auxiliary side wall 48 and establish within the case 11 a first compartment 61 (FIG. 3) having a volume which will accommodate a relatively narrow instrument (not shown) having a width no greater than the given maximum width w. Conversely, opening of the zipper 27 allows separation of the top and bottom walls 15, 16 and expansion of the auxiliary side wall 48 resulting in the creation within the case 11 of a second compartment 62 with a larger volume which will accommodate a larger instrument (not shown) having up to a greater maximum width W as shown in FIG. 5. The case 11 also will compactly receive an instrument (not shown) having a body with a maximum width greater than w but no greater than W and a neck having a maximum width in a range between w and W. Such use is facilitated by opening of the zipper 27 and tightening of the cinching strap 59 around the narrow portion 12 of the case 11.

Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is to be understood, therefore, that the invention can be practiced otherwise than as specifically described. 

1. A stringed instrument case comprising: a bottom wall; a top wall; a primary side wall with a lower wall portion joined to said bottom wall and an upper wall portion joined to said top wall to form a first compartment, said primary side wall having a substantially uniform width w to establish for said first compartment a first volume for accommodating an instrument having a maximum width no greater than said uniform width w; and a flexible auxiliary side wall contractible within said primary side wall and joining said bottom wall and said top wall, said auxiliary side wall having a substantially uniform width W greater than said width w of said primary side wall and expandable to establish a second compartment with a second volume for accommodating an instrument having a maximum width greater than said uniform width w.
 2. A stringed instrument case according to claim 1 including expansion means for accommodating separation between said upper and lower wall portions of said primary side wall and separation between said bottom wall and said top wall and thereby expand said auxiliary side wall to establish said second compartment.
 3. A stringed instrument case according to claim 2 wherein each of said upper and lower wall portions have extensive length sections of said uniform width w and substantially shorter end sections with outwardly tapered edges forming triangular protrusions with apices joined establishing at their juncture a combined width of said upper and lower wall portions substantially equal to said width W of said auxiliary side wall.
 4. A stringed instrument case according to claim 3 wherein said expansion means comprises a zipper forming outer edges of said upper and lower wall portions, and said joined apices form the origin end of said zipper.
 5. A stringed instrument case according to claim 4 wherein end portions of said upper and lower wall portions opposite to said tapered end sections overlap said tapered end sections.
 6. A stringed instrument case according to claim 5 wherein said case has the overall shape of a stringed instrument with a narrow neck portion and a wider body portion, and further comprises a cinch mechanism secured to said neck portion and operable to exert a circumferential force thereto.
 7. A stringed instrument case according to claim 6 wherein said case is elongated with said body and neck portions defining opposite ends of said case, and said origin end of said zipper is located at an end of said case defined by said body portion.
 8. A stringed instrument case according to claim 1 wherein said case has the overall shape of a stringed instrument with a narrow neck portion and a wider body portion, and farther comprises a cinch mechanism secured to said neck portion and operable to exert a circumferential force thereto.
 9. A stringed instrument case according to claim 8 including expansion means for accommodating separation between said upper and lower wall portions of said primary side wall and separation between said bottom wall and said top wall and thereby expand said auxiliary side wall to establish said second compartment.
 10. A stringed instrument case according to claim 9 wherein each of said upper and lower wall portions have extensive length sections of said uniform width w and substantially shorter end sections with outwardly tapered edges forming triangular protrusions with apices joined establishing at their juncture a combined width of said upper and lower wall portions substantially equal to said width W of said auxiliary side wall.
 11. A stringed instrument case according to claim 10 wherein said expansion means comprises a zipper forming outer edges of said upper and lower wall portions, and said joined apices form the origin end of said zipper.
 12. A stringed instrument case according to claim 1 wherein said upper wall portions have an inner edge joined to an outer edge of said top wall and co-extensive therewith, and said lower wall portion has an inner edge joined to an outer edge of said bottom wall and co-extensive therewith.
 13. A stringed instrument case according to claim 12 including expansion means for accommodating separation between said upper and lower wall portions of said primary side wall and separation between said bottom wall and said top wall and thereby expand said auxiliary side wall to establish said second compartment.
 14. A stringed instrument case according to claim 13 wherein each of said upper and lower wall portions have extensive length sections of said uniform width w and substantially shorter end sections with outwardly tapered edges forming triangular protrusions with apices joined establishing at their juncture a combined width of said upper and lower wall portions substantially equal to said width W of said auxiliary side wall.
 15. A stringed instrument case according to claim 14 wherein said expansion means comprises a zipper forming outer edges of said upper and lower wall portions, and said joined apices form the origin end of said zipper.
 16. A stringed instrument case according to claim 15 wherein end portions of said upper and lower wall portions opposite to said tapered end sections overlap said tapered end sections.
 17. A stringed instrument case according to claim 16 wherein said case has the overall shape of a stringed instrument with a narrow neck portion and a wider body portion, and further comprises a cinch mechanism secured to said neck portion and operable to exert a circumferential force thereto.
 18. A stringed instrument case according to claim 17 wherein said case is elongated with said body and neck portions defining opposite ends of said case, and said origin end of said zipper is located at an end of said case defined by said body portion. 